Programme Notes. - BBC

£1
Wednesday 13 October 2010
7pm
BBC Hoddinott Hall
Cardiff Bay
COMPOSER PORTRAIT: MICHAEL JARRELL
Michael Jarrell
… un long fracas somptueux de rapide céleste … (18’)
Interval 10’
Michael Jarrell
Prisme (13’)
Michael Jarrell
… le ciel, tout à l’heure encore si limpide, soudain
se trouble horriblement … (18’)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Conductor Thierry Fischer
Percussion Florent Jodelet
Violin Lesley Hatfield
This evening’s concert will be broadcast in BBC Radio 3’s
Hear & Now on Saturday 23 October 2010 and will be available to
listen again for seven days after broadcast via the BBC iPlayer at
bbc.co.uk/radio3.
Introduction
Welcome to the first of this season’s concerts at
BBC Hoddinott Hall, the Orchestra and Chorus’s
recording and rehearsal home. This season opens
with two ‘Portrait’ concerts, continuing the pattern
set last winter when composers Simon Holt,
Christian Jost and Bruno Mantovani were featured.
The first of these is devoted to Michael Jarrell,
generally recognised as the most significant Swiss
composer of his generation and a contemporary
and colleague of Thierry Fischer, Principal
Conductor of BBC National Orchestra of Wales, who
conducts tonight’s concert. Jarrell is no stranger
to the Orchestra, which premiered his Sillages at
last year’s BBC Proms. Of his music, the Finnish
conductor Susanna Mälkki has written, ‘Michael
Jarrell is one of the few composers whose music
takes the listener to a unique world. It is original,
atmospheric, vibrant, rich and colourful.’ That
richness is very much in evidence in the way
he uses the orchestra, as you’ll hear from two
of tonight’s works, one of which is a percussion
concerto in all but name. These frame a dazzling
work for solo violin played by Lesley Hatfield, the
Orchestra’s leader.
On 27 October you’ll be able to hear the second
of our ‘Portrait’ concerts, which showcases
works by Gilbert Amy, Philippe Hurel, Jérôme
Combier and Yves Chauris – four composers whose
works provide a vivid snapshot of the Parisian
contemporary music scene.
1 2

Michael Jarrell (born 1958)
Born in Geneva and bought up in what he has
described as ‘a little paradise’, Michael Jarrell
initially studied at his home city’s conservatoire.
Yet, despite his avowed sense of being a Swiss
composer, he has simultaneously been conscious
of being surrounded by France, Germany and Italy.
It was to these neighbouring countries that he
travelled to establish his reputation, only finally
taking up a post as Professor of Composition at
the Geneva Conservatoire in 2004. Prior to that he
enjoyed a spell of revelatory study in Freiburg with
Klaus Huber. This was followed by a period working
with electronics at IRCAM in Paris, which resulted
in a greater concern with timbre. Finally, he spent
two years in Rome (1988–90), first at the Medici
Villa and then at the Swiss Institute.
Highlights of his career since then have included his
appointments as Composer-in-Residence with the
Orchestre de Lyon and Professor of Composition at
Vienna University, as well as the 2000 Musica Nova
Festival in Helsinki, which was dedicated to his
music.
Impressive though such a CV may be, it gives little
idea of the combination of fantasy and orchestral
mastery that has established Michael Jarrell as the
leading Swiss composer of his generation. His music
is marked by delicately shimmering, diaphanous
textures, often contrasted with more muscular
gestures; and his percussion writing in particular
has met with much praise. Since 1983 he has also
written a notable series of nine solo and chamber
works, entitled Assonance. More recently, he has
moved into the field of opera with the premiere
of Galilei in Geneva in 2006; a profound study of
the physicist, mathematician, astronomer and
philosopher, based on Brecht’s play.
Website
www.michaeljarrell.com/home
… un long fracas somptueux de
rapide céleste … (1998, rev. 2001)
Florent Jodelet percussion
... un long fracas somptueux de rapide céleste ...
(which literally translates as ‘a long, sumptuous
din of celestial rapids’) is scored for solo percussion
and orchestra. Commissioned by the percussionist
Yasuko Miyamoto, it also includes substantial parts
for three percussionists from within the orchestra.
Its inspiration comes from the novel Un balcon en
forêt (1958) by the surrealist French writer Julien
Gracq (1910–2007). In it, the author describes the
din of cannons at the beginning of a battle on the
Meuse river. Jarrell found the description ‘brutal
and terrifying … [but] with such poetry and such
expressive strength’. The novel also provided
the solution to a formal problem for which the
composer had been searching. Of this he has
written, ‘this “art of punctuation” is the foundation
of all musical ideas, and I had been looking for a
title that would express it for a long time.’
The music opens with a primal explosion, which
reappears regularly – though in different guises –
throughout the work, which closes with a marimba
solo.
The piece was premiered on 29 April 1998 at the
Volkshaus, Basle, with Yasuko Miyamoto joined
by the Basle Symphony Orchestra under Bernhard
Wulff. The revised version was premiered by
tonight’s soloist in Vienna in 2001.
Prisme (2000)
Lesley Hatfield violin
In 1998 Michael Jarrell completed a work for violin
and orchestra … prisme/incidences …, in which
the orchestra is used as a kind of gigantic aural
prism, refracting elements of the soloist’s part. Two
years later he reworked it for solo violin, retaining
much of the original solo part. The work falls into
a number of sections whose overall form is never
revealed – shaped, as it were, by a memory of the
original orchestral part.
Prisme was premiered on 16 January 2001, at the
Salle Adyar, Paris, by the South Korean violinist
Hae-Sun Kang (who also created the solo part in
Jarrell’s earlier … prisme/incidences …).
Recommended Recording
Hae-Sun Kang (Aeon AECD 0101)
3 4

… le ciel, tout à l’heure encore
si limpide, soudain se trouble
horriblement … (2009)
… le ciel, tout à l’heure encore si limpide, soudain
se trouble horriblement … (literally: ‘… the sky,
recently so clear, suddenly becomes horribly murky
…’) takes its title from On the Nature of Things
by the Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius
(c99–55 bc). However, Jarrell is less concerned with
illustrating this title than reflecting on the contrast
between frenetic activity and more reflective
sections.
It is scored for a large orchestra, with a substantial
percussion section, and demands great virtuosity.
Formally, it is divided into four sections, which run
without a break.
Volleys of rapid notes ricochet between strings
and wind, set against an incisive trumpet call.
A low-lying passage follows, before the initial
idea reappears, reaching a dramatic climax. For
the second section, the tempo slows almost to
stasis. The music, weightless and dreamy yet like
some primordial litany, seems to emerge from the
subterranean depths of the earth. Later, resonant
bell and harp sounds emerge from the texture. The
third part sees a return to the frenetic music of the
opening, now soaring upwards towards an intense
crisis. Finally, all sense of time is suspended and,
in the lower instruments, a descending movement
is heard against ritualistic contributions from the
percussion.
The work’s premiere was given on 20 April last
year in Geneva by the Orchestre de la Suisse
Romande (who commissioned the work) under
Marek Janowski.
Michael Jarrell and percussion:
Percussion has played a major role in Jarrell’s
music ever since 1981, when he composed
Aber der Wissende for voice and marimba. It’s
a preoccupation continued in his most recent
large-scale work, Le père – Der Vater, for actor,
soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, six percussionists
and electronics. Other notable pieces in which
percussion plays a central role include Rhizomes
and Un long fracas … (heard in tonight’s concert). In
many of his other works this family of instruments
plays a crucial part and Jarrell’s innate affinity
with it can be clearly felt, an affinity that has
deepened in recent years through his work with
Les Percussions de Strasbourg.
Programme notes © Peter Reynolds
Thierry Fischer conductor
Thierry Fischer is Principal Conductor of BBC
National Orchestra of Wales and Chief Conductor
of the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra; this year
marked his first as Music Director of the Utah
Symphony Orchestra.
After studying flute with Aurèle Nicolet he
became Principal Flute of the Chamber Orchestra
of Europe where, encouraged by Claudio Abbado
and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, he conducted his first
concerts; he has dedicated himself entirely to
conducting since 1992. After apprentice years in
Holland he became Principal Conductor and Artistic
Advisor of the Ulster Orchestra from 2001 until
2006.
In the past year he has made debuts with the
Czech Philharmonic and the Orchestra of the Age
of Enlightenment, as well as returning to the SWR
Baden-Baden and performing with the Scottish
and Netherlands Radio Chamber orchestras, the
Ensemble Orchestral de Paris and making his
Suntory Hall debut with the Nagoya Philharmonic.
Thierry Fischer took up his post with BBC National
Orchestra of Wales in September 2006. Since
then, he and the Orchestra have mounted major
celebrations of the music of Dutilleux and Messiaen,
toured to the USA, Spain, Italy and Prague and,
in August, gave two concerts in the Amsterdam
Concertgebouw.
His discography with BBC National Orchestra
of Wales includes music by Honegger, d’Indy
and Florent Schmitt, and an ongoing series of
Stravinsky’s major ballets.
5 6

Lesley Hatfield violin Florent Jodelet percussion
Leader of BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Lesley
Hatfield has established a distinguished career as
soloist, chamber musician, orchestral leader and
teacher. She studied at Clare College, Cambridge,
and the Royal Academy of Music.
She appears regularly as a soloist and director
with BBC NOW, and has also appeared with other
major orchestras including the Philharmonia, Ulster
Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. With
the Northern Sinfonia she has been a soloist at
the BBC Proms and in Suntory Hall, Tokyo. Her
solo recordings have received critical acclaim and
she broadcasts frequently on BBC Radio 3, most
recently in concertos by Bach, Bruch, Glazunov and
Mozart.
Lesley Hatfield is also an active exponent of
contemporary music and has had works written
for her by Philip Cashian and John Casken, whose
Après un silence she performed at the Royal Festival
Hall, London.
She has an extensive duo recital repertoire and
has collaborated with a number of pianists, most
recently Ian Brown. She is a member of the Gaudier
Ensemble, with whom she has made several highly
acclaimed recordings, and is regularly invited to
appear with other groups, including the Nash and
Hebrides ensembles.
Her directing activities have covered a wide range
of works and have included television and radio
broadcasts. In addition to private tuition and
chamber-music coaching, she is Violin Consultant at
the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. She is
also a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.
Florent Jodelet studied percussion at the Paris
Conservatoire with Michel Cals and Jacques
Delécluse before going on to study with Jean-Pierre
Drouet.
Contemporary music is a speciality and he has
premiered many works, several of which have
been dedicated to him. He regularly performs at
prominent venues in his native France, as well as
appearing at festivals in Norway, Switzerland, Italy,
the UK, Germany and Brazil. He premiered a new
version of Michael Jarrell’s concerto for percussion
… un long fracas somptueux de rapide céleste … in
Vienna and has since performed it at the Ultraschall
Festival in Berlin and Musica Festival in Strasbourg.
He has also played percussion concertos by
Christopher Rouse and André Jolivet.
As a chamber musician he has performed with
such prominent musicians as Jean-Efflam Bavouzet,
Florent Boffard, Maurice Bourgue, Renaud and
Gautier Capuçon, Bertrand Chamayou, Claire
Désert, Gérard Frémy, Jean-François Heisser, Marie-
Josèphe Jude, Anssi Karttunnen, Garth Knox, Katia
and Marielle Labèque, Eric Le Sage, Paul Meyer,
Emmanuel Pahud, Jérôme Pernoo and Emmanuel
Stroesser.
He is also co-principal with the Orchestre
National de France, and together with his fellow
percussionists formed a group to explore the
possibilities of the medium. He is also an assistant
professor at the Paris Conservatoire.
Florent Jodelet’s discography includes works for
solo percussion and chamber pieces by Álvarez,
Bartók, Fenelon, Jarrell, Manoury, Ohana, Pécou,
Saariaho, Stockhausen and Teruggi. His most recent
recording is a compilation of solo pieces by Carter,
Donatoni, Feldman and Xenakis.
7 8

BBC National
Orchestra of Wales
BBC National Orchestra of Wales occupies a
special role as both a national and broadcasting
orchestra, acclaimed not only for the quality of its
performances but also for its importance within its
own community.
The Orchestra has won considerable critical and
audience acclaim over recent years, under its
formidable conducting team of Principal Conductor
Thierry Fischer, Principal Guest Conductor Jac van
Steen, Associate Guest Conductor François-Xavier
Roth and Conductor Laureate Tadaaki Otaka. As
well as an outstanding ability to refresh core
repertoire, the Orchestra is proud of its adventurous
programming and continuously demonstrates
artistic excellence in new or rarely performed
works. In summer 2008 Simon Holt took up the role
of Composer-in-Association, a post previously held
by Michael Berkeley, consolidating the ensemble’s
commitment to performing contemporary music.
BBC National Orchestra of Wales is Orchestrain-Residence
at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, and also
presents a concert series at the Brangwyn Hall,
Swansea. As well as international touring, it is
in demand at major UK festivals and performs
every year at the BBC Proms and biennially at the
prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World.
Education and Community Outreach is integral to
the Orchestra’s musical life, and the department has
been challenging conventions for nearly 15 years,
extending the work of the Orchestra into schools,
workplaces and communities.
The Orchestra is based at its state-of-the-art
recording and rehearsal base, BBC Hoddinott Hall at
Wales Millennium Centre. It enjoys close working
relationships with radio and television programmemakers
and records numerous soundtracks,
including BBC Wales’s Doctor Who and Torchwood
series.
BBC National
Orchestra of Wales
First Violins
Nick Whiting
Associate Leader
Carl Darby #
Gwenllian Haf Richards
Terry Porteus
Suzanne Casey
Richard Newington
Paul Mann
Gary George-Veale
Hilary Minto
Robert Bird
Marion Mattison
Carmel Barber
Emilie Godden
Anna Cleworth
Elin Edwards
Second Violins
Naomi Thomas *
Jane Sinclair #
Owen Cox
Sheila Smith
Vickie Ringguth
Joseph Williams
Michael Topping
Margot Leadbeater
Katherine Miller
Beverley Wescott
Debbie Frost
Nicolas White
Elizabeth Whittam
Violas
Alex Thorndike #
Peter Taylor
David McKelvay
Sarah Chapman
James Drummond
Ania Leadbeater
Robert Gibbons
Laura Sinnerton
Pamela Ferriman
Stephanie Chambers
Bethan Lewis
Cellos
John Senter *
Nick Gethin
Roberto Sorrentino
Magdalena Pietraszewska
Kathryn Harris
David Haime
Carolyn Hewitt
Margaret Downie
Nick Byrne
Double Basses
Tony Alcock *
Albert Dennis
William Graham-White
Richard Gibbons
Tim Older
Claire Whitson
Oliver Benson
Flutes
Alessandra Russo ‡
Fiona Slominska
Eva Stewart
Piccolos
Eva Stewart †
Alessandra Russo
Fiona Slominska
Alto Flutes
Fiona Slominska
Eva Stewart
Oboes
David Cowley *
Carlos Del Ser
Cor Anglais
Gwenllian Davies ‡
Clarinets
John Cooper †
Rhys Taylor
E flat Clarinet
John Cooper *
9 10

Bass Clarinet
Andy Harper
Bassoons
Martin Gatt ‡
Martin Bowen
Contrabassoon
David Buckland †
Horns
Ian Fisher †
Irene Williamson
Neil Shewan
William Haskins
Neil Mitchell
Trumpets
Philippe Schartz *
Robert Samuel
Andy Everton †
Piccolo Trumpet
Robert Samuel
Trombones
Donal Bannister *
Jo Hirst
Bass Trombone
Darren Smith ‡
Tuba
Sasha Koushk-Jalali †
Timpani
Steve Barnard *
Percussion
Chris Stock *
Mark Walker †
Phil Girling
Andrea Porter
Harp
Valerie Aldrich-Smith †
Piano/Celesta
Catherine Roe-Williams ‡
* Section Principal
† Principal
‡ Guest Principal
# Assistant Principal
Upcoming Concerts at
BBC Hoddinott Hall
Wednesday 27 October 2010, 7pm
CONTEMPORARY FRENCH MUSIC PORTRAIT
JÉRÔME COMBIER Gris cendre
GILBERT AMY L’espace du souffle
YVES CHAURIS … solitude, récif, étoile …
PHILIPPE HUREL Flash-Back
Conductor François-Xavier Roth
Piano Jean-Frédéric Neuburger
Thursday 4 November 2010, 7pm
KAZUSHI ONO CONDUCTS STRAUSS
TAKEMITSU A flock descends into the Pentagonal
Garden
ZEMLINSKY Maeterlinck Lieder
WAGNER Siegfried Idyll
R. STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration
Conductor Kazushi Ono
Mezzo-soprano Daniela Lehner
Thursday 25 November 2010, 7pm
DISCOVERING MUSIC
BRUCKNER Mass No. 2 in E minor
BRUCKNER Locus iste
Conductor Adrian Partington
BBC National Chorus of Wales
Tickets are FREE – booking opens Thursday 28 October
Friday 26 November 2010, 7pm
BRUCKNER & BRITTEN
STRAVINSKY Mass
BRITTEN Russian Funeral
BRITTEN Hymn to St Cecilia
BRUCKNER Mass No. 2 in E minor
Conductor Adrian Partington
BBC National Chorus of Wales
For tickets and information contact
BBC National Orchestra
of Wales Audience Line
0800 052 1812
bbc.co.uk/now
Wales Millennium Centre
029 2063 6464
wmc.org.uk
11 12